Category Archives: fitness

We have all heard them, and many of us have used them ourselves; the excuse as to why you can’t workout. Here I will try to give you reasons why these excuses are no good!!!

1. I don’t have time

Not a lot of people actually HAVE the time for the gym. They MAKE time! If you are really wanting to change your lifestyle or your appearance, you will find the time. Think about it…how much time do you spend sitting in front of a computer screen, or watching TV, or playing Words With Friends on your iPhone? Probably too much, right? I know I am guilty of these things far too many times. So, if you really want to change yourself, you will find the time. I can promise you there are busier people than you who find the time to workout!!!

2. Gym memberships are too expensive

Ok, so this could definitely be true. There are certainly some gyms that cost quite a bit to join, but there is no rule saying the only place you can workout is the gym. There are plenty of at home exercises you can do, various workout DVD’s that are much less expensive, there is the great outdoors (find some stairs or a great running path), there are even “mom and baby” workouts you can find on Youtube or search out fitness individuals on Facebook for inspiration (Jamie Eason, Vanessa Tib, Fit Life Happy Wife to name a few). Do you own a bike? Hop on and ride a few miles! There is always some activity you can be doing for little or no cost.

3. I don’t know what I’m doing

There are people who can help with this! Whether its a trainer at your gym, and instructional DVD like P90X, or useful websites like Bodybuilding.com, there is always some source of information you can seek out for assistance! Bodybuilding.com offers some great, FREE workout plans and trainers for you to follow. Here are some to try:

So, now you can’t use this excuse anymore. There is always something there to help you, you just need to seek it out!

4. I’m Too Tired

So, this might sound crazy, but working out actually gives you more energy!!! Working out triggers the release of endorphins (those feel-good hormones you have) and should help to eliminate fatigue. Find a time throughout the day that you feel good about working out at. You don’t necessarily have to wake at 5am to workout, unless this is how you FIND the time to do it! Of course, don’t over exert yourself in the gym and cause yourself to burn out either!

5. I Always Start Out Good and End Up Quitting

Styart by setting yourself SMART goals (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, Timely). You will likely continue to workout if you are able to feel the success and satisfaction of reaching your goals. You can also enlist in a workout buddy! Being accountable to not only yourself but a workout friend will help. You can always sign-up for a weekly program (crossfit, TRX, bootcamp, etc) to h0ld yourself accountable in your activity.

So, STOP THE EXCUSES! If you are really serious about working out, no excuse will stop you!!!!

It is known that high reps with lower weight is best suited for muscle endurance while low reps and heavy weight is the best choice for building strength. What about fat loss?

There is plenty of research out there indicating heavy weights and lower reps (which engages Type 2 muscle fibres – fast twitch) is optimal for muscle building and strength. This doesnt mean you can’t build muscle with more reps, however, to build up strength and muscle quicker and more efficiently, low and heavy is by far the way to go. An important idea to remember is that correct form and technique will help too! By ensuring the exercise is being done correctly, you are activating the muscle effectively and in turn, causing more tears in muscle fibre and bigger muscles.

One key piece to note for fat loss is the intensity of your workout. It doesn’t necessarily matter how heavy you are lifting or how many reps you are doing. Instead, having a higher intensity, with less rest between reps (essentially, sweating your butt off) is most effective for fat loss. Lifting weights can also help to increase fat loss. Cardio alone will help one to lose fat, however some muscle is being lost too if you choose strictly cardio. Lifting weights will help in losing fat and building muscle at the same time. Both are almost equally effective at fat loss, if that is your only goal.

Key to both strength and fat loss is your diet! Eating right is the first step to getting your new body! You need to fuel your muscles for them to grow and to have the energy to exercise. Kicking the bad eating habits will help in fat loss (mostly as you are not taking in empty calories, sugar or fats anymore). Its true what they say, Abs are made in the kitchen and your new body is 70% diet and 30% fitness!!!

One always important thing to remember, is which ever method you choose for you exercise regiment, ALWAYS listen to your body. If you need to rest, its OK to take a rest day (or week)!!! Over training and fatigue can lead to injury, which will leave you out even longer!

So this is a photo of pre-baby biceps and post-baby biceps. There sure is a huge difference. I’m hoping it doesnt take me too long to get my biceps back and have the arms I had before Baby P was born. I know this change is because I didn’t workout for the last few months of my pregnancy, and when I did, I certainly wasn’t lifting the same amount of weight I did before I was pregnant.

This just gives me more motivation to hit the gym hard and get the body I want!

Here is a progress picture of my back last week (almost 6 weeks post partum). It’s not bad, but it’s definitely not where it use to be. It’ll be great to see the progress over the next few weeks and see how far I can come and get even better than I was before baby!!

So I am almost done the first 2 weeks of the LiveFit Trainer and I’m sure I can already notice changes. I’m thinking it is mostly due to the better eating, but nonetheless, I am looking and feeling better. My pre-baby stomach is coming back, which is fantastic. My strength is still no where close to what it use to be, but I know that will come back too. I think part of it is that I am doing my workouts at home (we do have an almost full gym in our basement). I think that if I started going to the gym to do my workouts, I would be lifting more. I always found that I pushed harder int he gym than at home anyways, but like I said before, my 6 week old daughter rules my life right now and physically getting to the gym just isnt feasable right now. My husband works 12 hour days and finding someone to watch my 6 week old baby for a couple hours while I am at the gym isnt possible right now. So, I have been making due with what I have and it seems to be working OK for now!

This weekend we are taking a short trip to the mountains, just the 3 of us, so keeping on track with diet may be a slight challenge. I will take what I have learned recently and try to make the best choices I can. And, it is our first trip with the new baby, so we will see what kind of challenge that brings too! I’m looking forward to just getting away!!!

I will leave this post with this quote today:

“There is a difference between interest and committment. When you’re interested in doing something, you only do it when its convenient. When you’re committed to something, you accept no excuse; only results.”– Kenneth Blanchard

I found this quote today, and I LOVE IT! There is no way to say it better. This is exactly what I want to do; earn my body. I think there is so much more satisfaction when you look at your body and know you look like that because you worked hard for it.

Today is LEG DAY!!! I’m actually really excited for leg day because I haven’t had a realy, solid leg day since before having my baby. I’m sure its been a good 6 months since I’ve done heavy squats, and split squats, and heavy leg extensions…I know I certainly won’t be able to do as much as I could before, but I am eager to get myself back to where I was ASAP! My PR for squats is 185lbs. I know I will be no where near that when I get in the gym today, but I can hope that I will be there soon!

I took yesterday as my rest day, as Baby P had her first visit with Grandma dn grandpa, so our day was pretty busy!. I continued to eat healthy and follow the LiveFit trainer’s nutritional guidelines, and already, in just 3 days, have seen my stomach changing. It feels good to know that this one change I have made is actually making a difference. Now, just to get my “old” body back, and improve on it. I see all these pictures on Instagram, Twitter, facebook, etc of these women in really great shape; the same kind of shape I want to be in, and it inspires me! I am eager to try to get my body to look like that. I will EARN a body like that!!!

So, right after I posted that picture and my last post, I thought to myself, “get your ass down there and do today’s workout!” So, I did!

I thought about it, and if I want to change the way I look, I need to be consistent with the trainer and get to the gym and workout EVERYDAY!!! I need to be accountable to myself. I set this goal to do the trainer, stick with it, and follow it as closely as I can. In order to be successful, I need to actually lift the weights!!!

I’m finding the blog helpful in keeping accountable!!! Thanks to my followers, who hopefully read this. Even if you don’t, I think you do, which in my mind is helpful! Ha ha!!